Apartment Owner Loses Court Battle with Airbnb -
A federal judge in Los Angeles recently dismissed a lawsuit by the owner of the 4,255-unit Park La Brea apartment complex against Airbnb Inc. that sought to hold the online...more
Gov. Brown Opposes Measure S -
In a statement published less than two weeks before Los Angeles' Consolidated Municipal and Special Elections to be held on March 7, 2017, California Gov. Jerry Brown came out in opposition...more
3/6/2017
/ Ballot Measures ,
Beneficial Owner ,
FinCEN ,
Geographic Targeting Order ,
Insurance Industry ,
Mortgages ,
Ports ,
Real Estate Development ,
Real Estate Investments ,
Real Estate Market ,
Reporting Requirements ,
Title Insurance ,
Zoning Laws
Jury Trial Waiver Undone by a Fundamental California Policy -
It is common for commercial contracts to contain a choice of law provision. Some commercial contracts may even contain a clause that waives the right to seek...more
2/22/2017
/ Apartments ,
Appeals ,
Choice-of-Law ,
Commercial Contracts ,
Contract Terms ,
EB-5 ,
Executive Orders ,
Foreclosure ,
Foreign Investment ,
Foreign Nationals ,
Green Cards ,
Job Creation ,
Jury Trial ,
Loan Agreements ,
Loans ,
Parking Lots ,
Real Estate Market ,
Refugees ,
Travel Ban ,
Trump Administration ,
Visas ,
Waivers ,
Zoning Laws
Los Angeles, Seattle Top List of Best Markets for Multifamily Investment -
Marcus & Millichap's 2017 National Multifamily Index (NMI) ranks Los Angeles and Seattle first and second, respectively, among 46 major domestic...more
California Prepares for Possible Rollback of Federal Water, Wetlands Regulations -
Scott Pruitt, President Donald Trump's pick to lead the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), has discussed eliminating what he...more
1/24/2017
/ Airports ,
City of Los Angeles ,
Clean Water Act ,
Construction Industry ,
Critical Infrastructure Sectors ,
Department of Homeland Security (DHS) ,
EB-5 ,
Environmental Policies ,
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) ,
Foreign Investment ,
Green Cards ,
Job Creation ,
Land Developers ,
Public Comment ,
Real Estate Development ,
Real Estate Market ,
Regulatory Oversight ,
State Department of Fish and Wildlife ,
State Water Boards ,
Transportation Industry ,
Trump Administration ,
Visas ,
Water ,
Water Quality ,
Wetlands
Proposed Landmark Rules Could Make LA Redevelopment More Difficult -
Los Angeles City Council Member Jose Huizar has proposed a new set of rules that could make it more difficult for owners of historic properties in Los...more
1/18/2017
/ Affordable Housing ,
Campaign Contributions ,
City of Los Angeles ,
Construction Industry ,
Construction Project ,
Elder Issues ,
Historic Preservation ,
Historical Landmarks ,
Land Use Restrictions ,
LIHTC ,
Low-Income Issues ,
Proposed Legislation ,
Real Estate Development ,
Real Estate Market ,
Redevelopment ,
Residential Real Estate Market ,
Senate Finance Committee ,
Tax Credits
Unlawful Detainer Appeals Process Creates Uncertainty for Landlords -
The California Court of Appeal decided the case of Beach Break Equities, LLC v. Martin Lowell on Nov. 22, 2016, and released it for publication on...more
12/30/2016
/ EB-5 ,
Eviction ,
Foreign Investment ,
Green Cards ,
Job Creation ,
Landlords ,
Real Estate Investments ,
Real Estate Market ,
Rental Property ,
Section 1031 Exchange ,
Summary Judgment ,
Tenants ,
Unlawful Detainer
California Legislature Revises De Minimis Exemption of Finance Lenders Law -
Real estate projects that utilize federal New Markets Tax Credit (NMTC) financing recently received a reprieve from a state licensing...more
10/18/2016
/ Affordable Housing ,
Commercial Loans ,
EB-5 ,
Foreign Investment ,
Green Cards ,
Housing Market ,
Immigrant Investor Program ,
Job Creation ,
Licensing Rules ,
New Market Tax Credits ,
Real Estate Development ,
Real Estate Market ,
Time Extensions ,
Zoning Laws
California Coastal Act Blocks Housing Project in Venice Despite Earlier Approvals -
Judge James C. Chalfant of the California Court of Appeal on Sept. 29, 2016, affirmed a lower court ruling denying a developer’s petition...more
10/10/2016
/ Affordable Housing ,
Apartments ,
Appeals ,
City of Los Angeles ,
Construction Industry ,
Construction Project ,
Earthquakes ,
Foreclosure ,
Governor Brown ,
Housing Developers ,
Housing Market ,
Local Ordinance ,
Low-Income Issues ,
Mortgages ,
New Legislation ,
Popular ,
Property Ownership ,
Real Estate Development ,
Real Estate Market ,
Seismic Retrofitting ,
Single Family Housing ,
Spouses ,
Surviving Spouse ,
Variances
LACMTA Approves Tax Ballot Measure to Fund $120 Billion Transit Plan -
The Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (LACTMA) on June 24, 2016, approved a sales tax ballot measure to help fund $120 billion...more
6/29/2016
/ Ballot Measures ,
CEQA ,
City of Los Angeles ,
EU ,
Mortgage REITS ,
Public Transit ,
Real Estate Investments ,
Real Estate Market ,
Referendums ,
Renewable Energy ,
Retail Market ,
Sales Tax ,
Solar Energy ,
Transit Authority ,
Transportation Industry ,
UK ,
UK Brexit
California Governor Proposes "Build By Right" Approval Process for Affordable Housing -
Recognizing the extreme need throughout California for construction of new affordable housing units, on May 13, 2016, Gov. Jerry...more
6/14/2016
/ Affordable Housing ,
Ballot Measures ,
CA Supreme Court ,
CEQA ,
Community Development ,
Construction Industry ,
Customer Due Diligence (CDD) ,
Financial Crimes ,
FinCEN ,
Housing Developers ,
Money Laundering ,
Proposed Legislation ,
Real Estate Development ,
Real Estate Market
California Adopts ADA Relief for Small Businesses -
Gov. Jerry Brown signed California Senate Bill 269 into law on May 10, 2016, providing some limited relief to small businesses that are sued for violations of the...more
5/19/2016
/ Accessibility Rules ,
Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) ,
Commercial Leases ,
Disability Access Claims ,
Disability Discrimination ,
Light Rail ,
Mortgage REITS ,
Public Transportation ,
Real Estate Market ,
Retail Market ,
Retailers ,
Shopping Centers ,
Small Business ,
Trains
San Francisco Requires Solar Panel Installation on New Buildings -
Last month, the City of San Francisco passed an ordinance requiring all new buildings to include solar energy systems. California law currently requires...more
5/11/2016
/ Affordable Housing ,
Building Permits ,
City of Los Angeles ,
Community Revitalization and Investment Authorities (CRIAs) ,
Construction Industry ,
Energy Sector ,
Local Ordinance ,
Neighborhood Revitalization ,
Real Estate Development ,
Real Estate Market ,
Redevelopment ,
Renewable Energy ,
San Francisco ,
Solar Energy ,
Successor Agencies
IRS Reevaluates "Bad Boy" Carve-Outs -
Before providing a non-recourse loan to a Limited Liability Company (LLC) – i.e., one for which the LLC members do not bear the risk of economic loss – a lender often will require...more
5/4/2016
/ Bad Boy Liability ,
Beachfront Properties ,
Carve Out Provisions ,
City of Los Angeles ,
General Plan ,
Internal Revenue Code (IRC) ,
IRS ,
Limited Liability Company (LLC) ,
Navigable Waters ,
Non-Recourse Loans ,
Private Property ,
Public Access Laws ,
Real Estate Market ,
Right of Access ,
Urban Planning & Development
Los Angeles Ballot Proposal To Halt Developer's Zoning Changes -
A group called "Coalition to Preserve L.A." is proposing a ballot measure that would impose a two-year moratorium on all projects in the city of Los...more
New Legislation Limits Tax Sharing Agreements -
California Senate Bill (SB) 533, which was signed into law in October 2015, went into effect on Jan. 1, 2016, and limits local government from executing tax-sharing...more